REL-2350 Lecture 14: Midterm study guide
Document Summary
Shangdi: lord on high, heavenly counterpart to the shang ruler. Also called di and was the all powerful spirit at the apex of the pantheon. Ritual master, and worked through the lesser gods. Son of heaven: the emperor; received the mandate of heaven which stipulated that he governed by a divine right. This divine right was seen as a response of the prosperity of the dynasty. If there was famine or war, then heaven was rejecting the son of heaven"s divine right to rule, or mandate . Confucius: born as kong qiu, from 551-479bce. He wanted to restore order through rites (li) and moral principles. He was seen as a transmitter of ancient wisdom that dated back centuries before because during his life there was war within china. He felt unsuccessful during his lifetime but later, after his death, his ideology was put in place by the state.
